Markus's Return
by Artanyus
Summary: Several years after Roland first killed his best friend in battle for making a deal with a Demon, Markus now returns to leave a calling card for him. Unfortunately, Sonja, Markus's one time girlfriend, was the bearer of the message.


Roland had just finished dinner when his phone rang unexpectedly. Looking at the caller ID he immediately picked up, "Sonja, what is it?"

At first all he heard was ragged breathing, but suddenly he heard her say, "Roland, it's Markus, he's here and he's looking for you." The phone went silent suddenly, cutting off all communication.

He immediately picked up on her panic and knew she was scared. Of all the people he expected to come for him, it had to be Markus. His best friend was after him, again. But what did he want with Sonja? She said that Markus was looking for him, and if that was the case, why go after Sonja unless…

Before he finished the thought he was already racing out the door. He grabbed his jacket and threw his sword over his shoulder, tightening the strap with one hand as he flipped on his helmet. He jumped on his bike and started it up. Without looking, he shot into the street and raced through the neighborhood for Sonja's place.

He arrived a few minutes after he got her call, and as he skidded to a halt he immediately began looking for anything out of place, which was almost everything. The house was dark, including the streetlamp that stood right in front of it. Potted plants look as though they had been tossed about, while the plants in the ground appeared wilted and dead. As he approached the house he could feel the temperature drop as well, noting how his breath clouded before him with each exhalation.

He climbed the steps cautiously, probing the area for signs of danger, while he removed his helmet and dropped it on the porch. He touched the door, and knew that it was locked. Up close, he noted that he curtains had been drawn closed on all the windows at least on the ground floor, making it hard for him to tell what was inside, if anything. He knocked once, and then put a little pressure of the door testing it. Without waiting for a response, he kicked the door in and stepped inside his sword at the ready.

Carefully, Roland started down the hall looking into each room and checking to make sure no-one or thing was laying in wait for him. Instead all he saw was furniture tossed about and broken, pictures laying on the floor, their frames broken and glass shattered. In the hallway as well, he noted that the few doors there were damaged and leaning awkwardly on their hinges.

About halfway down the hall he heard a noise coming from upstairs, much like a creaking floorboard, and paused a moment to listen. The noise stopped, and he carefully moved back towards the front door and the stairs, looking up along the railing and again from the bottom step. Starting up the stairs he listened carefully for any possible sounds, pausing once more at the top of the stairs to check around the corner to make sure it was safe.

Upon doing so he stepped out and saw even more carnage. At the end of the hallway, the bathroom door lay on the ground, ripped from its frame. He noted what he thought was blood, but wasn't sure due to the darkness, and turned to look down the other way. There he saw several doors laying in pieces, and he started towards them, looking inside each room.

The rooms themselves were a mess, curtains torn, pictures ruined, and furniture strewn about as though it had been thrown and deflected. Roland slowly approached Sonja's bedroom when he heard something crunch under his foot. He looked down to see the pieces of her cell phone laying there discarded and covered in blood.

Continuing on, Roland reached her bedroom and peered inside, looking about. He saw more blood and began to worry. He still had not found her and the signs of blood were everywhere, but he didn't know whose it was. He believed it to be hers, knowing that Markus was a demon and was the more powerful in this situation. After a few short glances showed it to be empty he stepped inside. The door lay on the ground in front of the window. It appeared to have been kicked in, and then looked at the bed, noting the torn sheets and the pillows. He looked over at the closet doors and saw they were still closed, and covered with hand prints. Walking over, Roland put an ear to the door and listened before opening the door to reveal a battered and sobbing Sonja.

She screamed when Roland opened the door, thinking it was Markus again.

"It's just me, Roland," he said calmly. He reached out to her, and gently pulled her from the closet. "It's okay. There's no one else here."

"He was here," Sonja gasped between sobs, clutching to Roland with bloody hands like a shield. "He was so angry, shouting and throwing things."

"He's gone now," Roland replied soothingly. "I checked every room, making sure no one was here."

Sonja leaned in closer, sobbing, while Roland just held her closer, comforting her. She rested her head against his shoulder, while he ran one hand through her soft hair whispering all the while, "It's okay. No one's going to hurt you."

The two of them sat there for several minutes, while Sonja relaxed and her sobs softened as she regained her composure once more. She looked up at him, noting the calm, concerned look on his face as he sat there with her in his arms. "He wants you," she said. "Say's it's your fault he is who he is now." She swallowed against the lump in her throat, and blinked back the tears that threatened to run down her cheeks once more.

Listening to her talk, he gently took her hands in his and looked them over. "Let's go get you cleaned up some," he said gently helping her up.

He led her from her room, down the hall to the bathroom, where he gently washed her hands clean before applying bandages to her wounds. As he did so he asked her, "Did he say anything else?"

She looked up at him incredulously, "He said that if you want to find him, you will know where to look; where you killed him the first time." She paused a moment to note the look on Roland's face. "Roland, what's wrong?"

"He's waiting for me, and if I don't go to see him, he going to attack someone else," Roland replied. "I'm sorry he did this to you, you didn't deserve it. He used you as a warning to get to me."

"What should I do?" Sonja asked, her voice betraying the fear she was adamantly trying to hide.

"I'm going to take you over to my place for now," Roland replied. "I'm going to call Anastasia and have her pick you up and bring over to her place. You'll be safe with her."

"What about Markus? I want to see him."

"I can't take you with me, it's too dangerous," Roland answered. "Besides, I have to finish what was started, and both you and Ana need to be safe." Roland saw the look on her face and added, "Besides, I have other friends to help me if I should need it."

Half an hour later, Roland walked out of his house and locked the door behind him. He'd brought Sonja over, and made sure she was alright and called Anastasia to come pick her up before leaving. He'd managed to deflect Ana's questions, but knew that Sonja would fill her in on some of the details when she arrived. Roland just hoped that by then everything would be over between him and Markus.

Roland started the bike and rocketed off into the night once more. This time, he was heading for Rock Springs State Park, and while he knew the cops patrolled several of the nearby roads, Roland had a few spots that were safe to park his bike and not been spotted by the cops. He found one of those spots, and shut off the bike's engine and removed his helmet. He reset his sword so that it hung on the left side of his waist, the blade side facing up for an easier draw and started down the path leading to Rock Springs.

He reached the gate to the park and noted that despite the time, it was open instead of closed. He tested it for any magical traps and as soon as he saw that there weren't any, he stepped into the park itself. He followed the path across the creek, going towards the center of the park and the open field that lay there.

"Well it's about time you showed up," a voice called out as he rounded the corner and stepped into the open the field, staying on the path the whole time.

"Markus, is that you?" he called back.

"None other," he responded.

"Why'd you do it Markus?" Roland inquired. "Why did you go after Sonja?"

"Why else, she was the one who told you about me acting weird and what not," he answered.

"She wasn't the one who sold her soul to a demon!"

"No, but then again, I wasn't the jackass who made me do it either. I'll never forget the night you sent that spirit to scare the shit out of me. Too bad it didn't work."

"Spirit? I'd never do a thing like that and you know it," Roland replied. "It was a demon the whole time, and you fell for their trap hook, line and sinker. "

Roland closed his eyes a moment and concentrated, and when he opened his eyes he did not see his friend as he was, but there he stood in his true form, his demon form. He was about six feet tall, lanky, with hands that ended in blood red claws. His eyes glowing faint crimson, and Roland could tell that while he was a true demon now, he was still a low level demon and shouldn't prove to be too hard to defeat.

"By the way, I have a message for you," Markus announced.

"A message from whom?"

"You remember Lilith, right? Well she wants me to tell you that no matter what happens, she's going to find you and make you pay for what you did to her. She's been pissed about you sending her back to Hell, and when she breaks loose you're number one on her list."

"She does know that I wasn't the one who landed the blow, right?"

"Oh she knows, but that little blonde bitch seems to have vanished," Markus stated.

"Well, she did give her life in the process," Roland replied. "She's dead and if she isn't in Hell, well, she did a lot of good and by saving me, among other things, got the better option."

"Is that so, well, then how come no one up there can find her?"

"How would I know? I don't see or control that stuff."

"Don't give me that shit; we both know you have special powers, and are blessed by those from above."

Roland laughed, "Blessed? You think that living with the weight of trying to save the world, and watching friends die is a blessing?" He stepped forward slowly, drawing his sword in the process. "Better think again," he continued. "Carrying the weight of the dead is not a blessing, it's a curse, and as it was hard enough the first time I had to kill you, I didn't have a chance to finish the job. This time, I won't stop until your body burns."

"Come on then, give it a shot," Markus taunted, "let's see what the mighty Keeper has up his sleeve."

Roland strode forward carefully, his sword at the ready, the runes blazing brightly, illuminating the night. In the soft glow, he noted the grin on his friends face, and watched as it became a sneer before he snarled and attacked.


End file.
